8th Grade (M3) Overview & Curriculum

The Creative Language Arts class will entail the creative analysis of selected literature. We will refer to a very structured book titled, Language Arts and Literature (Course 3) published by Pearson. This book is a perfect fit for our students as it covers many genres and builds upon concepts. We will begin with the elements of short stories, and move on to poetry, followed by dramas and end with one to two novel studies. Students will have daily opportunities to work on grammar and sentence structure.

M3 Social Studies will trace the roots of the founding of the Carolina Colony and its separation to form South and North Carolina. We will look at the role of the state in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and its importance on the national stage in the political arena and on the culture of the South as a whole.

M3 Science focuses on physical science with an exploration of important physics, earth science and space science topics. The year begins with an investigation of the universe and how motions within the Earth-Moon-Sun system have predictable effects that can be observed on Earth. Key concepts in physics, including gravitational force and the properties of light waves, are woven into this first topic. The second major focus is the Earth itself with an examination of the dynamic processes that constantly alter the face of our planet, from plate tectonics to weathering and erosion. The final area of study looks at the motion of objects both large and small, including Newton’s famous Laws of Motion. The course is taught through class discussion and guided notes, science readings, interactive online and hands-on activities, and individual and small group projects.

In Writer’s Workshop, students will increase their confidence in putting their ideas and opinions into print. We will follow both the Write Source text put forth by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as well as Writing Skills by Diana Hanbury King to help students better understand and apply grammatical concepts through writing expanded sentences for direct application. Students will read various articles and share their opinions and responses through original writing. Vocabulary terms will be assigned for students to create a video lesson to teach selected terms to the class as they practice speaking skills.